Four Southern African countries – Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana have announced plans to reduce their roaming charges. The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia(CRAN), the body overseeing the project said the new plan will take off on September 1, and will also see continuous annual reduction in the costs of roaming between the four countries.
The Ministries of Information and Communication technology of the four countries met with CRAN to discuss the idea, and should start making required arrangement to amend their roaming charges as agreed at the meeting.
Countries and operators not part of the agreement will not be forced to reduce their roaming plans, CRAN has assured. The national Regulatory Authorities in the four member states will continually communicate with operators to ensure regulatory stability. A recommendation will be made to the communications Regulators’ Association of Southern Africa(CRASA) that a regional clearing house to be established to ensure lower costs in the region, itvnewsafrica reports.
There are plans to establish a clearing house to lower costs in the whole region.
